Integrated Behavioral Health Services

By God’s grace, we seek to provide safety, hope and positive change in the lives of each of our patients.

What is Integrated Behavioral Health?

The Integrated Behavioral Health Consultants at Esperanza are licensed bilingual professionals who are located at each of our three locations and are an important part of your health care team. They assist Esperanza’s patients in weight loss, smoking cessation, coping with chronic illness and life stressors, as well as provide support for patients regarding mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Integrated Behavioral Health services can help you understand and manage your physical, mental and emotional health.

How do I access Integrated Behavioral Health Services at Esperanza?

If you are a primary care patient at Esperanza Health Center, you can request to see an integrated behavioral health consultant when you come to your medical appointment. During your visit, your primary care physician may also ask a consultant to come into the room to meet with you. The consultation usually takes 16-20 minutes in the exam room on the same day you meet with your primary care physician.

How is this different than the services in community behavioral health?

Community Behavioral Health agencies use a traditional model of care wherein the client comes for weekly therapy sessions with a counselor and sees a psychiatrist who may prescribe medications to help their symptoms. Integrated Behavioral Health visits are in the exam room usually at the time of the physician visit, and are 16-20 minutes in length. In some cases, such as when the physician is prescribing medication to help with smoking cessation, depression or anxiety, there may be some follow-ups with the consultant alone.

Sometimes a Behavioral Health Consultant may recommend that you see a Community Health Specialist in order to work in a more targeted way on those issues holding you back from improving your depression or anxiety. The Behavioral Health Consultant can still see you when you come to see your physician even if you are seeing a counselor at another mental or behavioral health agency in order to help you reach your weight loss, smoking cessation, chronic disease management goals.

What costs are involved for Behavioral Health services at Esperanza?

Currently there are two types of Behavioral Health consultations. One is where you see the consultant the same day you see your physician or dentist. There are also consultations in which the Behavioral Health Consultant recommends you return in 1 or 2 weeks to help monitor your symptoms or response to a newly prescribed medication. For visits where you only see the Behavioral Health Consultant, there will be a co-pay (usually the same amount as you would pay for a medical visit). These follow-up visits are also between 16-20 minutes.

Insurance: Everyone is welcome at Esperanza Health Center. We accept most forms of public and private health insurance. If you do not have insurance, we have staff who can help you determine if you qualify for assistance, and help you enroll in the program that best fits your needs. You will never be turned away because of inability to pay.